HIGHLIGHTS OF THE COMMUNITY COALITION DRAFT PROPOSALS FOR PARKS, TRAILS & OPEN SPACE

Our goals were to (1) ensure that community views are represented in the planning process; (2) provide a logical and readable foundation for establishing and maintaining high quality systems of parks, trails and open space. Highlights of our draft plans include:

Clear definitions;

Expanded level of service criteria;

Establishes a broader vision, to help the County meet existing needs as well as attract new business and high quality residential development;

Responds to neighborhood needs and provides a framework to upgrade underserved areas, such as Dale City and the Route 1 corridor;

Promotes pedestrian and bicycle networks countywide;

Emphasizes opportunities for water-based recreation;

Establishes criteria for permanent protection of parks, trails and open space for future generations;

Identifies specific opportunities for high priority places for parks, trails and open space (including some already owned by the County);

The Parks and Open Space Plan is divided into three sections: Parks, Trails and Open Space. We've kept to a few key points for each, contact us at alliance@pwconserve.org or 703.499.4954 for more information. Share your views with Supervisors --
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PARKS

Support the parks standard of 25 acres of parkland/1,000 residents.

Both the Planning Commission and the Park Authority Board support this standard. The Planning staff does not support this standard and instead recommends 15 acres of parkland/1,000 residents.

Support clear definitions. According to the Citizen Plan, Silver Lake as proposed by the Bull Run Mountain Conservancy would count as public parkland.

Public parks are those lands owned, leased or secured under easement or use agreement by a political body for the benefit of the citizens and managed for recreation and resource protection purposes. Citizen Plan Parks Chapter: Definitions.

Support the removal of developer subsidies. No proffer "credits" for development applications that promise private parks for select residents. If it's not public, don't count it.

These statements from the Citizen Plan should be restored to the final Plan.

Parkland statistics developed for the purpose of assessing the adequacy of service levels shall include only parks and facilities owned by the county or privately owned properties that are permanently protected and accessible to the public. Citizen Plan Parks Chapter: PK Policy 1 Action Strategy 5.

OPEN SPACE

Support a clear definition for Protected Open Space and a standard of 39% of County as Protected Open Space. Because the Planning Commission has struggled to define Protected Open Space, we offer a simplified alternative.

”Land that is permanently protected from development with a perpetual conservation or open space easement or fee ownership, held by a federal, state, or local government or nonprofit organization for natural resource, forestry, agriculture, wildlife, recreation, historic, cultural, or open space use, or to sustain water quality and living resource values.”

This definition, developed by the Chesapeake Bay Program, would ensure consistency between local, state and federal standards. Properties with unenforceable covenants or temporary development restrictions are not Protected Open Space. Citizen Plan Open Space Chapter: OS Policy 7.

Staff proposal includes RPAs as “protected” open space but eliminates requirements to:

Identify and map the location of RPAs;

Inform landowners that portions of their property are designated as protected open space in County ordinances.

Support Trail standards that match or exceed national standards, which call for 3.25 miles of trails for every 1,500 residents and set standards for trail types, such as hiking, biking and others.

We want more than bike trails built by VDOT. Would the bike trails VDOT builds along new roads alone satisfy Planning staff's recommendation of 1 mile of trails for every 1,500 residents? Citizens have prioritized a countywide trail network! Request that the Citizen Plan's high standards be restored. Citizen Plan Trails Chapter: Appendix D.